Locking differential



June 21, 1938. MEINKE 2,121,254

LOCKING DIFFERENTIAL Filed June 1, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 14/2720" Z7. [w eak/(e INVENTOR ATTORNEYS June 21, 1938. A. E. MEINKE LOCKING DIFFERENTIAL Filed June 1, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Arr/Par 5 Max/(6 ATTORNEYS 7 in accordance with my invention and showing the differential free to have its differential action'..

Patented 21, 1938 This invention relates to differentials and more particularly to a locking 'device therefor and has for the primary object the provision of adevice of this character which will permit an operatorofa motor vehicle to lock or render the dif- I, ferentialaction of thedifferential of said vehicle inoperative; should one'of the drive wheels lose traction and the vehicle become stalled so that each drive wheel will receive power and thereby permit the stalled'vehicl'e to readily extract itselfunder its own power. I

With these and other objectsin view, this invention consists in certain nove1 features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described. and.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectionalview illustrating a differential for a motor vehicle equipped with a locking device constructed Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the differential action locked or rendered inoperative.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view showing the locking pins for rendering the. differential action inoperative. I

ing device.

Figure is a side elevation illustrating a shiftingfork; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary'perspective view showing the control means for the shifting fork.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral I indicates a conventional type of differential employed on motor vehicles and which includes a housing 2, a ring gear 3 having secured thereto a spider cage 4 carrying the usual spider gears 5 which mesh with axle gears 6-, the reduced diam-, eter bearing hubs of which are splined'on axles I which may be assumed to bejournaled in the" housing 2 in the conventional manner. The hubs 6a of the axle gears are embraced by and journaled in bearing sleeves to 'of the spider cage. The ring gear 3 ismounted fast on the spider cage. The foregoing description describes briefly a conventional typeor differential and to which my inventionisadapted. I s In adapting this invention to the differential, the spider cage 4- has formed-integrally therewith an annular bearing 8 provided with openings the power will be and slidably supports a slotted sleeve! provided with pairs of cams ill. The sleeve 9 has formed therein an annular groove to be engaged by fork connecting elements I! pivoted on a fork B, as shown'at M. The fork isfpivot'aliy mounted on the'housing 2, as shown at II, and is connected to an arm I6 by a link II. The arm is secured on a shaft l8 journaled in the housing 2 and to which a hand control 19 is connected.

"I'he hand control 'may be of any desired'con- 10 struction and extends into convenient reach of the operator of the motor vehicle so that said fork may be rocked on its pivot for-the purpose I of shifting the positionofthe sleeve v9 on: the

bearing I.

One of the axle gears inthe hub to thereof is provided with openings aligning with openings 2| formed in the overlying bearing sleeve la. of

the spider cage I. r The openings 2'0 and 2| align with the openings in the bearinga. slidable in .20"

the openings of the bearing 8 and theopenings 20 and 2| are radial locking pins 22 urged in the direction oflthe openings Illby coil springs 23. The pins 22 carry heads 24 to ride onto and off a or thecams ill in accordance withthe position 5 of the sleeve 9. The. heads when in engagement with the cams hold thepinsout of'the openings 20 permitting the differential .to have it's usualv differential action. ,However, when the heads are 3 disengaged from the cams the pins enter the .Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, showing the hand control for the lockopenings 20 and lock one of the axle gears and thereby destroy the differential action so that delivered equally onto both axles.

What is claimed is: I

1. In combination-with a differential including a spider cage carrying spider gears meshing with axle gears and the hub of one of .the latternamed gears having openings, locking pins slidably mounted in said cage; springs actingon said 40 pins to urge them into the openings of one of the axle gears, a slotted sleeve slidable on the cage and having the pins extending therethrough,

cams carried by said sleeve to engage the pins forvdisengaging the pins from ,the openings-to permit the difle'rential to have a differential ac-- tion, and an operating means' connected with i saidsleeve. r

2. -In combination with a differential including a spider cage carrying spider gears meshing with '50 axle gears and the hub of one of the latter-named gears having openings, locking pins 'slidably mounted in said a cage; springs acting on said pins to urge them into the openings of meet the axle gearsja slotted'sleeve slidable on the cage and having the pins extending therethroughand provided with a groove, cams carried by said sleeve to engage the pins for disengaging thepins from the openings to permit the diii'erential to have a diii'ere'ntial action, a pivotally mounted i'ork engageable with the groove oi the sleeve,

- ing a slotted sleeve slidable on the cage and hav-- and an operating means connected to said iork.

8. In combination with a diiierential including a spider cage carrying spider gears meshing with axle gears, the hub oi one oi said last named sears having openings, locking pins slidably mounted in said cage, and means for selectively extending the pins into the hub openings to lock the. differential against diiierential action or withdrawing the pins from said openings to permit diii'erential action, said last named means including the pins extended through the slots therein, and cam elements carried by said sleeve and slida n agin said p ns.

4. In combination with a diiierential includinga, spider cage carrying spider gears meshing with axle gears, the hub oi one oi the latter-named gears having openings, locking pins slidably mounted in said cage, and means for selectively extending said pins into the hub openings to lock the diilerential against diii'erential action or withdrawingthe pins from the'hub openings to permit diii'erential action, ,said last-named means including a slotted sleeve slidable on the cage and having the pins extending through the slots thereimcamelementscarriedbythesleeveand slidably engaging the pins, a pivotally mounted fork intermediately engaging the groove 01' the,

sleeve, and an operating means connected to said ii. The combination with adiilerential including a s ider cage provided with axially spaced bearings. axle gearshaving reduced diameter bearing hubs working throughand iournaled in said bearings, one of said reduced diameter axle gear hubs being provided with an external recess within and exposed to its surrounding bearing, a,

radial opening in the last said bearing for alignment with its gear hub recess under rotation of the parts one with respect to the other, a locking pin slidabiy carried by said cageand working radially through and being closely embraced by said bearing recess for projection into locking engagementwith said gear hub recess, and means for selectively extending and retracting said lock ing pin.

6. In a diiierential, the combination with axially spaced driven members each adapted-tor connection to an opposite axle shalt section and having a reduced diameter hub, a cage-acting memher having bearing sleeves closely embracing said driven member hubs, means for imparting rotary motion to said cage-acting member, and differential mechanism contained in said cage-acting member and operatively connecting the same to the axially spaced drlven'members for diti'erentiai driving action thereon, of at least one externalrecess in the hub oi one of the driven members exposed to the bearing sleeve therefore, at least one locking pin carried by the cage and working radially slidably through but being closely embraced by said last named bearing sleeve for interlocking engagement with said hub recess. and operating means for actuating said pin to project the same into the said hub recess to lock the differential against diilerential action and withdrawing the pinirom the hub recess to permit free diflerential action.

7. The structure defined in claim 8 in which said operating means inchldes a sleeve slidably mounted on said cage-acting member and provided with slots through which said lock pin extends, and cooperating cam surfaces on said sleeve and locking pin.

an'mon 1:. mm. 40 

